The plight of the second child, man. My little one has spent most her life living around her big sister’s whims. From being dragged to each and every occasion her sister has participated in since her birth (and being expected to nap nicely and cooperate while doing so) to the layout and decor of their shared bedroom, Ellie has always been expected to sort of go with the flow. And, don’t get me wrong—she’s good at it. But once in awhile, you have to throw a girl a bone.

As she gets closer to the end of her kindergarten year, Ellie has started standing her ground a little more. She’ll still tear up and play the baby card any chance she gets, but she’s starting to show signs of liking things a certain way (like the three separate piles of Fancy Nancy books lying in the middle of the floor in their room)—and she’ll fight to keep them that way.

To give her a little space of her own in the midst of their big-sister-dominated shared stuff, I teamed up with The Baby Cubby to create a small, simple kids reading nook where she can practice her brand-new reading skills.